UNM study: Cannabis aids in reducing opioid use

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Chronic pain sufferers who enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program were able to reduce their use of narcotic painkillers in larger numbers than those who chose not to use marijuana, according to a new study performed by University of New Mexico researchers.

The study found that 31 of the 37 patients enrolled in the medical cannabis program – or 84 percent – were able to significantly reduce their use of prescription opioids during the 21-month study period.

By comparison, only 13 of the 29 patients not using medical cannabis, about 45 percent, significantly reduced their use of prescription narcotics, the study found.

The findings were published Nov. 16 in PLOS ONE, an open-source journal.

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“There is a potential treatment in sight,” said Jacob Vigil, a UNM psychology professor and